Cider Press

My mother aquired an old cider press this summer that needed a wee bit of work. The iron was mostly good but the wood….not so much.The new wood is all hickory. The old wood was still solid enough to use for patterns so nothing had to be reinvented.I’m particularly pleased with the baskets. They are also hickory. I was able to use the old straps and since I was trying to stay true to the era I attached them with clinch nails. That was a bit of an adventure, but well worth it.It’s finnished with butcher block dressing.

It’s only seen action once and on that day we pressed 41 gallons of apple juice !!

Beautiful restoration and a great use of it also, nothing tastes quite as good as fresh pressed apple cider, I have been allowed to help a family that owns one of these for a couple of years, my donation was thegallon plastic jugs for the cider and if I can get my apple trees to grow and produce I may have to build my own. The only item I might change would be to add a long lever handle for the press itself to makelife easier for me. Thank you for sharing.

I remember using one of these every year as a kid. It brings back a pile of memories. I wish I knew where the old press went or where to find the works. Thanks for posting, it’s a great looking recreation.

I have an almost identical twin to your press. Complete with stencils on the front legs and a larger hopper and flywheel. Came out of a old farmers barn with chickens nesting in the baskets. Did yours come with the large table leg like post for turning the press down? We have made apple juice and cider many times with our kids and the Boyscouts or Camp fire girls. Lots of fun. Watch out for the bees when you start smashing apples. The deer love to eat the spent apples.

Hey, Great job!I have a press that looks identical to this (the before pics), and am planning on replacing all the wood. Would you recommend using hickory, or if you had to do it again, would you go a different route?I am also missing the top hopper part. The one on mine is an old round metal bowl shape from an old milk separator. I wondered what my press had on it originally. Any tips you can pass on to me would be appreciated.Thanks and great job!